Since I know quite a few of you are gun fanatics and I am sure there are a few game hunters here, I figured this would be a good group to ask and hopefully I can get an unbiased opinion.

So here's the scoop, I have been wanting to go deer hunting for quite some time to take up the time in between wakeboard and snowboard season here in the Midwest. I figured at the same time since deer season is fairly short I could do some duck and goose hunting so I am now in need of a shotgun (Illinois does not allow rifle hunting for deer). I have been looking at the Remington 870 Express (http://remington.com/products/firear...ss-combos.aspx) and the Mossberg 500 (http://www.mossberg.com/images/Mossb.../NEW/54243.jpg). I have chosen these two models to compare based on friend recommendations, functionality (dual purpose) and price. I am completely new to hunting and do not know much about guns at all. The only gun I have ever shot is a 22 rifle and that was about 20+ years ago.

So let please let me have your thoughts and I appreciate the gun education. I am looking for an honest comparison if that is at all possible.

I don't know if Remington is a better quality gun or not, I have had good and bad with both. The 870 was my first shotgun. I learned to assemble and disassemble the 870 when I was 6. I have a total of 13 870's and two Mossberg's. I was a diehard 870 guy, with my favorite being my Wilson Arms Witness Protection 870. I bet I have carried my WP870 over at least one thousand miles of hiking, boating, and hunting trails or rivers.

The 870 was my favorite until I found the Duck Commander and the Benelli.

I have been using a Super Black Eagle for about a year now and love it. Everything from deer to turkey has been awesome. I just purchased a Super Vinci and think it is my new go to shotgun. I also have an M4 at home under my bed ready to go. The semi-auto mechanism on the Benelli has been flawless and even fires after being submerged in a swamp. I think it is as reliable as the 870. Of course the Benelli is in an entirely different price range than the 870.

I am from a small town in IL, Monmouth, and know all about hunting with a slug gun. I started when I was 6. My dad just got a new Savage 212 and I was able to shoot a 3 inch group at 200 yards. The Savage 212 or 220 are probably two of the best slug guns out there. They relatively are inexpensive too, check them out.

I am doing upland game hunt training with my dog. For this, I bought a 20g OU Beretta 26" White Onyx and I love it. I dig the style, simplicity, and safety of a quality OU. Currently, I am shooting a lot of clay to improve my eye. I enjoy owning/shooting this gun...

Sounds like Sam has got the goods! Killer pic btw. One other thing to remember with the 870's (especially the express series) is that sometimes when they get hot the brass expansion from crappy shot shells (I am told) will lock the gun up making cycling the action really hard to accomplish. A common fix is to polish the chamber a bit and keep it lightly oiled. Someone please correct me if they have more info/detail on the process and or issue(s) as I would like to understand it better.

Great pic Sam, i'm down state a little bit and will be hunting deer in Fieldon and duck/geese in Pleasant Hill. Super excited to give it a try and I hope I am somewhat successful, either way I am sure it will be a good time.

Those Benelli's are sweet, but probably a little out of my price range this go around although the Nova Pump likes like a nice gun from what I can tell. Do you know much about the Nova and it's versatility? I would assume you need to get a slug barrel for deer which doesn't appear to be a cheap option from what I can see.

Thanks for the info guys. I think I will go with the Remington 870 combo for this year, see how it goes and then upgrade from there. I'm sure it's a lot like wakeboarding, you start with X and then you just can't help yourself and you end up with way more crap than you need.

Sounds like Sam has got the goods! Killer pic btw. One other thing to remember with the 870's (especially the express series) is that sometimes when they get hot the brass expansion from crappy shot shells (I am told) will lock the gun up making cycling the action really hard to accomplish. A common fix is to polish the chamber a bit and keep it lightly oiled. Someone please correct me if they have more info/detail on the process and or issue(s) as I would like to understand it better.

You could be short stoking it, or you may have worn or slightly bent shell stop that doesn't allow for the next round to fully engage which will hang up the spent round. Also check for debris under the shell stop. The latches also might be bent or out of adjustment and not fully engaging on both sides of the spent round. This twists the spent round and it binds up on ejection. You should not have to polish anything. I would first convert the shell feed to flexitab anti-jam system, you can get them from several places, I get mine from Wilson Combat.

For anyone with an 870 I suggest picking up a Service Kit from Brownell's. It has everything that you would ever need for servicing your 870. An easy way to pick a novice 870 owner out from the crowd is by looking at the nut at the front of the tube! Many guys will use pliers or a vice-grip on it and really mess up the factory knurling. Get the kit!

Look for a used Benelli, they are available and often can be found cheap, even more so in country or rural gun stores. I often find them in Iowa and in Kansas for cheap. The locals all seem to gravitate to Remingtons and Saigas and tend to leave the fancy jobs on the shelf.

My dad has a bum shoulder so when he moved to the Remington 1100 auto, I inherited his 870 Wingmaster when I was 12. 18 years later I love my gun. I've never shot slugs with it but with the Wingmaster I can shoot 3 inch mags for duck/geese. I'm also getting all jacked up for the dove opener next Thursday! Not the perfect upland gun but I have so much time with it that I couldn't imagine shooting anything else.

Benelli Nova is in your price range and is a great gun. Would be my pick for sure. In fact is is my pick. I own the Nova (actually the Super Nova), and an 870, and an SBE II. When I want the reliability of a pump in really harsh conditions, it's the Nova no questions asked.

Well boys... After a lot of research and based on y'all's feedback I finally purchased my shotgun last night and will be able to pick it up tomorrow afternoon. I ended up getting the Remington 870 Super Mag Combo. Super pumped and even more pumped on the price. All of the big box stores like Bass Pro and Cabela's don't normally carry this gun and wanted full retail for it ($577). Based on a friends recommendation, I was able to get it from a local mom and pop owned store in Jerseyville, IL for $469 and I don't have to wait 3/4 weeks for them to order it.

I'm ready to get out there, hopefully the weather holds out for another month of wakeboarding and then I can get ready for hunting season. It just baffles me that the two biggest outdoor outfitters in the world do not carry or even have in stock arguably the most popular 12g shotgun on the planet.

Great Gun! I miss the White Tails of IL! I have spent many a day sitting in a stand, stalking through a cornfield, and skinning and butchering... and many, many more sitting in front of the TV, watching football, eating venison.

Jerseyville, IL, is that where you live? I'm from up north (Oquawka), but my family has a small farm that we lease out in Gilead, do you know that area? Did you get your gun at Carry Ready?

I've never been to Gilead, and we usually wakeboard not to far from there by land in Hardin, IL on the Illinois River. Great riding there. I actually live in Edwardsville, IL in a small lake community outside of town called Holiday Shores.

I got my gun at Taiwan John's Discount House in Jerseyville. if you look on the map, you can see where we ride which is in Hardin and where I will be hunting deer is in Fieldon. It's an awesome area, if you get down this way look me up. We were supposed to camp/ride this weekend, but we are finally getting rain for the first time in about 100 days.